DETRIMENTale
by Pristine Pen
Summary: Frisk wakes up in the ruins. Panicking about a strange text-box, possibly hallucinogenic flowers, and a steroid-like red mist, she meets Flowey. Instead of "friendliness pellets," it's a "happiness crystal," full of DETRIMENT: DETermination Rated by Infinitessimal MeasureMENTs. While this is bad for monsters, it's great for her... if this is all real.


Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS.

One day, war broke out between the two races.

After a long battle, the humans were victorious.

Their determination was great.

Their SOULS were strong.

Many years later. . .

MT. EBOTT

201X

Legends say that those who climb the mountain never return.

Many will claim seeing flashes of red on moonless nights. . .

Outlining a hunched, ghastly man.

* * *

 **DETRIMENTALE**

 **CHAPTER 1: HALLUCINOGENIC FLOWERS**

* * *

Frisk winced, squeezing her eyes shut against the light streaming in from her window. She really didn't want to go to school, especially not with her back hurting like this. Groaning, she opened her eyes -

"What _._ " This wasn't her bedroom. This wasn't even her _house_. Heck, she wasn't even in a civilized area, never mind the fact that "this" was the bottom of a freaking hole! No wonder her back hurt!

Although... how did she even get down here? She pursed her lips in thought, thinking back to what had happened. Her memory was kinda fuzzy, which wasn't really surprising, but she could have sworn that...

* Your eyes narrow as you realize what happened...

* ...and then fly open as you see the text box.

"Oh, no way in _he_ \- ok, Frisk, you can handle this, you can _totally_ handle the loss of your sanity, you're probably just delusional because of a lack of water or, you know, maybe these really pretty yellow flowers with red veins are hallucinogenic, and that is _so_ not comforting, ok, ok, uh, just stop thinking about this and relax."

* You take a deep breath to calm yourself.

Frisk glared at the text box. She did take a deep breath, though. Just because the advice was given by an _evil text box of DOOM_ didn't mean she was going to ignore the advice. Well, she probably should, because generally when receiving advice from mystical things that vaguely resembled something from her brother's video games it was bad advice, but this seemed like good advice and she definitely needed to stop rambling and calm down.

Although she was totally going to hug the crap out of her family when she got back. She hated dealing with hallucinations. And being lost. And sore backs. And being lost.

Speaking of being lost, she knew she was supposed to be doing something, but she wasn't sure what. Staying still would probably be best, because then people would be able to find her more easily, but if these flowers were hallucinogenic, then they were probably also poisonous. That was a thing, right? Pretty, hallucinogenic, poisonous flowers existed?

* You decide to continue on.

Haha, ok. No. No, she was going to stay right here. Seriously, she _just_ decided listening to the text box was a bad idea. That, and she was feeling irritable and mopey and more than a little panic-y and scared. Besides, these flowers were really comfy. These pretty, hallucinogenic, probably poisonous flowers…

"And we're up and moving!"

Frisk sat up quickly, wincing as her sprained wrist smacked against a stick the flowers had hidden...Never mind. Her wrist wasn't sprained anymore, which made _perfect_ sense. It's not like falls were supposed to aggravate wounds gotten from tripping on the basketball court, or anything. Still, she was taking the stick, because it would be an _awesome_ wizard's staff, in addition to being big enough for her to look vaguely threatening. She just needed to get a non-poisonous flower to tie around the top.

* You got the Stick!

* Its bark is worse than its bite.

Frisk sniggered involuntarily, then glared at the _evil text box of DOOM_. Bad box, no making puns she thought were funny.

Swinging the stick absently, she wandered through the hallway, which had a doorway carved out of stone… and led to a room full of red mist. She was just gonna stay here for a bit. Yup. She was definitely going to stay right here, leaning against the wall, tapping the soon-to-be-wizard's-staff against her sneakers. Not paying any mind to the poisonous flowers and cartoonish red mist that was definitely going to stay inside that room. Because cartoonish mist always followed the laws of physics.

It did look really cartoonish though...almost suspiciously so. Frisk cast a shifty glance back at the flowers. How did she know if the mist was a hallucination?. The flowers _were_ really pretty, and she remembered reading somewhere that pretty things tended to be dangerous, like monarch butterflies. Those were super pretty, but they tended to kill the birds that ate them...So what if the hallucinogenic flowers were trying to keep her nearby so they could kill her more easily?

But, on the other hand, maybe the flowers only worked when she was super close to them...which would mean that if the mist was actually real, she would end up killing herself through gas poisoning… Frisk stopped tapping the stick. She was going to need to figure out a way to test the mist. That or she could sprint through the room with the mist, and hope that there was a non-misty room up ahead.

Actually, scratch that. The mist was probably acidic, or something. If it was real. Her hand tightened around the stick. Maybe she should test it with the stick…

* You cautiously stick the Stick through the doorway.

The sudden appearance of the text box caused Frisk to shriek, and fumble the stick. Being her naturally awesome self, she managed to catch said stick. Unfortunately, the triumphant noise she made was quickly overtaken by a muffled shriek, because _bad red mist that she had stupidly stepped into_. Clamping a hand over her mouth, she sprinted back into the hallway, letting out a breath of relief once she was out of the mist.

Which had followed her into the hallway.

So she hadn't avoided it. Great. That text-box was a great help, really! It's not like it was making her do stupid things.

* You realise that despite being exposed to the mist, the Stick looks better than ever…

* ...as do you.

"Well, thank you, _evil text box of DOOM_ , for being so considerate."

* Your words echo in the empty corridor.

Well, that was creepy. She did feel better though. And the stick looked kinda cool with that red film. She could handle this. If the red mist wasn't so bad, maybe she could put her shirt over her mouth to keep from breathing too much in. She really didn't want to stay next to the poisonous flowers any longer. Red mist that made her hyper was slightly better. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, she placed her striped purple shirt over her mouth, and set off into the next room, determined to ignore any more messages from the text-box.

"Howdy! I'm FLOWEY! FLOWEY the FLOWER!"

Frisk managed to completely strangle her shriek that time, but the stumble backwards was unavoidable. There was apparently a talking flower in the room with the mist.

"Hmmm. . ."

"You're new to the UNDERGROUND, aren'tcha?"

She got the feeling "underground" was supposed to be capitalised. She was also stubbornly refusing to acknowledge the fact that she was being addressed by one of the evil flowers. Alice in Wonderland had _nothing_ on this.

"Golly, you must be so confused."

And scared.

"Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!"

...Despite how cheery the flower sounded, that sounded like a line from one of her brother's video game villains. She didn't care if this flower was acting helpful, it looked exactly like the flowers she was trying to get away from. She wasn't going to believe a single thing this flower said. Stubbornness was a trait she had in _spades_.

"I guess little old me will have to do. Ready?," he asked with the face of a perfect little angel, "Here we go!"

" _Where did my body go?!_ "

"See that heart? That is your SOUL, the very culmination of your being!"

…Did he not hear her? She thought she had been pretty loud, but maybe as a glowy red heart, she couldn't speak? It was either that, or Flowey was ignoring her… She wasn't sure which option she liked more.

She did have to wonder why her soul was so red, though. Seriously, it was the exact same color as the mist and the veins on the flowers. (Actually, were some of the rocks red too? Wait, pay attention, evil flower has her soul [Probably {Don't believe a thing it says, remember that!}])

"Your SOUL starts off weak, but can grow strong if you gain a lot of LV."

 _Can glowy red hearts give confused faces?_

"What does LV stand for?"

 _Apparently, yes._

"Why, LOVE, of course!"

"Bullcrap!" If only the flower could hear her…

"You want some LOVE, don't you? Don't worry, I know where you can get some! Do you see that glowing red crystal over there?"

Frisk looked over at the rock the flower gestured to. Er, crystal. It was the exact same shade of red as every other rock. What was so special about a rock on a stand?

"That's a Happiness Crystal. It gives you LOVE! Go ahead and touch it!"

You know, if Frisk could actually talk right now, there would be a lot less pointless bouncing on the flower's part. This was sounding suspiciously like a drug deal.

 _Somehow_ , the text-box made a comeback. Oh, joy.

[FIGHT] [ACT] [ITEM] [❤MERCY]

The MERCY button seemed nice. Frisk was going to pick this button.

* Spare

❤ * Flee

"Hey buddy, why are you trying to go that way? The crystal's over there."

The flower seemed mildly annoyed.

And Frisk was _absolutely terrified_. She couldn't run away. Why couldn't she run away?! This was not okay!

Maybe she should just...lightly tap the crystal? The flower would leave her alone then, right?

[FIGHT] [❤ACT] [ITEM] [MERCY]

* Touch the crystal * Call out the weed's crap

❤ * Poke it with the Stick * Call for help

Frisk (somehow, despite being a freaking heart) poked the crystal with the Stick.

* You poke the crystal with the Stick.

* The Stick begins to wiggle.

"W H A T."

"Is this a joke? Are you braindead? TOUCH. THE. EXTRACT- Happiness Crystal."

Frisk would have run away screaming if she could have, because after the flower said that, it's face changed into something that would have fit better on a demon. Also, _her stick was still wiggling_.

"You know what's going on here, don't you?"

 _Well, no, but do I want to?_

"You just wanted to see me suffer."

 _Holy moly why were there bullets what the duke this was not ok!_

" **D I E.** "

 _No no no this is not ok I want to go home where's mommy?!_

Then, thank everything that is holy, Flowey got hit by a fireball, which made the bullets disappear. Frisk was desperately trying to calm her breathing down, when something in one of those weird banana-hazmat suits came in. With rubies. Why were there rubies on the suit? With the same red glowy-ness as the _everything_? Frisk couldn't really tell, but it looked like the person was muttering to themself. They turned toward Frisk, and appeared to say something louder, but all Frisk heard was, uhh...

"AV, DV VT EE AVID, MA SHD."

"So, I can't understand you and I'm kinda scared because you're in a banana suit and I'm not, can we fix that somehow?"

Frisk pulled up her best pleading face, and the person appeared to have an epiphany. Frisk leaned forward slightly, watching as they pulled out…

A phone the size of a brick?

Frisk (as a heart - somehow) took the monstrosity, gaping slightly at the size and weight, and nearly dropped it when it started to ring. Scrambling to answer it, she brought it up to her ears (where were they, though?), and after finally locating the call button, gave a slightly flustered greeting.

"Hello, my child. Please, do not be afraid. I am TORIEL, caretaker of the RUINS. I am also the one in the 'banana suit,' as you call it."

Hold up, her child? Uhh, Frisk was gonna have to address that later.

"Oh my gosh you have no idea how glad I am to see you! But before I start rambling or anything, can we get me a banana suit? Because I'm kinda worried about the red mist that's starting to stick to me."

There was a slight pause on the phone. "Ah, the red mist is called DETERMINATION, and it only affects monsters in negative ways. Humans like yourself become stronger the more you are exposed to it."

"So...steroids?"

There was another, slightly longer pause. "I am reluctant to ask, but what are 'steroids'?"

"Uhh… you know, I'm not really sure. They just kept telling us not to use them in health class."

The pause lasted several seconds before Toriel spoke up again.

"Well, I pass through here everyday to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come down here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs."

"Cata-what?"

Almost as if Frisk's question had been a magic spell, she morphed back from a ridiculous little heart into her obviously cooler body.

Frisk gave a gasp of delight. "I'm not a heart anymore and I can speak when I want to and move properly and YAY!"

Toriel chuckled slightly over the phone (which was actually kind of loud now that she thought about it), and said "This way." Frisk skipped along behind her, somehow managing to not notice the still moving stick, and gave a small, impressed sound when she noticed just how purple the not-red-stuff was. She totally wanted to paint her room that purple color now. The yellow star was kinda weird, though. Frisk walked carefully over to it, trying not to step in the square outline made out of leaves in front of it, and stared at it for a second. It's times like these when she's glad she has a stick to- _how did she forget the stick was moving throw it away and shriek_.

* You dropped the Wiggling Stick!

* It dances on the floor.

And now the _evil text-box of DOOM_ was back. Frisk was gonna ignore that, and focus on the important things.

"My child, are you alright? You did not hit yourself with the stick, did you?"

"No, I didn't hit myself with the stick! WHY IS IT MOVING?!"

"Oh, I am sorry, I suppose I should have mentioned this. If the DETRIMENT of an object is high enough, it can gain semi-sentience."

The look Frisk gave was appropriately confused. "So, I know that was english, but… what?"

"Ah, DETRIMENT stands for **DET** ermination **R** ated by **I** nfinitesimal **ME** asureme **NT** s, and semi-sentience means that it is slightly alive. Oh, and Infinitesimal means very, very small."

"What's the Determination stuff?"

"The red mist."

"I thought determination was a character quality."

"Yes, but it is also the red mist."

"So the red mist makes stuff alive?"

"Yes."

Frisk saw the opportunity...

Frisk took the opportunity.

"IT'S ALIIIIIIIVE!" Frisk enjoyed cackling evilly, right up until Toriel gave an obviously amused giggle. At that, she shut up and glared at Toriel.

"My apologies, you were very amusing."

"I'm not supposed to be amusing, I'm supposed to be an evil scientist cackling! Also, can I still keep the stick? It's not gonna attack me or anything, is it?"

"No, it will simply be slightly more likely to _stick_ to you." Toriel burst into laughter at her own pun, and Frisk snickered along with her.

* You got the Wiggling Stick!

* It's decided to branch out with interpretive dance.

Frisk managed to not giggle at the non-existent text-box, and turned back to where Toriel was patiently waiting. Probably. It was hard to tell with the banana suit. However, Frisk still had questions!

"What's the glowy yellow star?"

There was another pause. Frisk wasn't sure if she liked all these pauses.

"What star, my child?"

Frisk paled dramatically. "Never mind! I guess it was just a trick of the light, hehe…" Frisk hoped these hallucinations stopped popping up soon.

"Are you sure? You became very pale, quite suddenly." Toriel managed to give Frisk a concerned look through the banana suit.

"Really? Are you sure it wasn't just the determination mist?" Frisk wilted internally at the skeptical look Toriel gave her, but was pleasantly surprised when she shook her head slightly and continued up the stairs.

* The red mist seems to be swirling around the star.

Frisk shoots the star a shifty glare, absently waving her hand through the text-box to try and make it go away.

* The star seems to be glowing brighter.

Frisk huffed, glaring at the text-box. In a whisper, because Toriel was only in the next room, she said, "You're not gonna stop until I do something with the star, are you?"

The text-box remained stationary.

"Ugh. I'll poke it with the stick."

* The Wiggling Stick seems uncooperative.

"Are you kidding me?! Fine, If I die, Toriel gets my Wiggling Stick. Stupid text-box."

Frisk angrily stomps over to the star, and practically slaps the thing.

* (The maroon shadow of the RUINS looms above, filling you with determination.)

* HP fully restored

* SAVE?

❤ * SAVE * RETURN

Frisk. Felt. _Awesome_. Maybe the text-box wasn't so bad, because this star thingy made her back stop hurting. Although, she had to wonder what a SAVE was. Maybe this really _was_ one of her brother's video games...

"My child?"

Frisk's head snapped up.

"There is something in this next room you should see!"

"Coming!"

Frisk ran up the stairs, a grin on her face as she thought about how much fun she was gonna have on this adventure, and how jealous her brother was gonna be.

After all, she was DETERMINED to get home.

* * *

Chapter Word Count: 2965

Final Word Count: 2965

Originally Posted: 1 December 2016

Next Estimated Chapter Posting: 1 January 2017

* * *

A/N: Feel free to ignore this.

Wow.

This started off as a random text message about a 'what-if?' scenario, and has turned into a full-blown story. I'm ridiculously excited for this AU! Details about this world will show up over time, but feel free to leave comments, suggestions, reviews, and questions in the reviews, and I'll do my best to incorporate those details more clearly.

Also, this will NOT be shipping any pairings other than the canon pairings. This story will be focusing more on the effects of DETRIMENT on the Underground and how this changes Frisk's journey.

Heads up, there's an official Tumblr for this! I'll be using this to communicate about various fanarts, really good questions, and other things related to this! Feel free to post your fanart too!

Because this site doesn't like urls, just take out the spaces from this "url":

detrimentale-official . tumblr

Enough rambling, I'll see ya next month!

Pristine "Prissy" Pen


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